Going With The Flow: Lessons From A Hot Air Balloon

Going With The Flow: Lessons From A Hot Air Balloon

Last weekend, I traveled to Albuquerque for Balloon Fiesta, the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. Seeing hundreds of hot air balloons ascending was truly a spectacular sight. I was lucky enough to actually check an item off my bucket list, taking a hot air balloon ride within the festival. Since I hate heights and get vertigo, as well as motion sickness, I made sure to take my Dramamine.

Well funny thing, although of course the height issue was there, I did not experience any motion sickness. In fact, the ride was as smooth as floating on air…excuse my pun. Yet, that is exactly what we were doing. You see a hot air balloon goes with the flow of the wind.

So it made me think, how much smoother and less turbulent would life be if we went with the flow, if we adjusted to whatever life holds, rather than fighting against it. Now, I am not saying that we should never fight. I am more thinking about what it is that we fight against. After all, there are times that the wind is too great for hot air balloons to fly.

Let’s take someone diagnosed with cancer. Of course, you want to fight the cancer. Yet there is a difference in accepting that you have cancer and fighting against the disease versus fighting against the fact that you have cancer. Think about your life and how you might be able to go with the flow…just my random musings for the day.

Enjoy the video of my hot air balloon take off!

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” – Eckhart Tolle